Monday, May 4, 2015

Kidding Season

The gentle rustling from newbies in the barn and the sounds of ducks quacking ring in spring here at the Mountain Goat Lodge. The soft fur of the newborn kids is gentle to the touch and watching them learn to stand on their own four feet can make an afternoon here that much more rewarding.We are proud to announce the birth of three little ones here at the farm born in the past two weeks! Additionally we are expecting about 10 more kids this spring from the rest of our ladies!Both moms (known as Does) are doing well and the kids are happy and healthy. Here we focus on making sure our Does get the appropriate ratio of grains and greens. This makes nutritious milk for the kids while providing extra calories to keep up with them. Our Does and kids are routinely housed in a separate pen to ensure a healthy bonding right from the start. After a few days they are introduced into the herd to meet their extended family!Here at the Lodge we focus on making sure that our goats are well taken care of from birth. Unlike a commercial dairy which will separate the kids from the mother about 24 hours after they have been born, we give the goats opportunity to develop and learn from their mothers. We also wait to milk the does until their kids are three weeks old and starting to wean off of milk. We wait to sell the kids until they are at least two-to-three months old – again assuring a healthy foundation and long life. Unlike commercial dairies we never milk during pregnancy for two reasons: there are far too many hormones that the mother is developing and it is not something that we should be drinking, secondly, the Does really need all their energy to produce kids, not milk.Here at the Mountain Goat Lodge we work to make the lives of the goats happy, healthier and longer. On average they live to 15 years staying with us on the farm and we are happy to share our home with them and you.